Even for teams in Franklin County — a place rich in baseball history and pride — qualifying for the District 3 postseason is no easy task.
But the Chambersburg Trojans and Greencastle-Antrim Blue Devils are giving it all they can.
The Trojans stumbled out of the gates with a 1-8 record, but have found a rhythm in recent games, and are now a small winning streak away from making a run at the postseason. The Blue Devils, on the other hand, started the season 5-2, but have won just two of five games since then.
These teams are set to meet on Friday, and both are hungry and motivated to stay alive in the playoff hunt, and earn some Franklin County bragging rights in the process.
We’ve selected this backyard brawl as our Game of the Week.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming games we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
Greencastle-Antrim at Chambersburg
First pitch: Friday, 4:15 p.m., at Chambersburg.
Records: The Blue Devils are 7-5, while Chambersburg checks in at 3-9.
Last game: Greencastle posted a 6-5 win over Boiling Springs, while the Trojans fell to State College by a 2-1 score.
Last meeting: The Blue Devils topped Chambersburg by a 4-1 score last season.
Meet the Blue Devils: Greencastle-Antrim, the No. 12-ranked team in the District 3-5A power rankings, is looking to find some traction after sustaining losses in three of its last five games … The Blue Devils, coached by Eric Shaner, lead the Colonial Division with a 6-4 record after its big win over Boiling Springs … Greencastle has a potent offense that has outscored opponents 75-30 this season, with the Blue Devils scoring nine runs or more five times this season … Leading the offense for Greencastle is Elvin Robles, who is batting .486 (18 for 37) with a double, triple, 12 runs, and 14 RBI … Three others in the Blue Devils lineup are hitting .300 or better: Nolan Sullivan (.385), Carter McCauley (.343), and Landon Myers (.300) … Greencastle has a formidable pitching staff led by the likes of McCauley (2-0, 0.91 ERA, 21 strikeouts), Ben Horst (3-0, 0.93 ERA, 16 strikeouts), and Jaxson Bostic (0-2, 2.58 ERA, 25 strikeouts).
Meet the Trojans: The window to qualify for the District 3-6A postseason is closing fast for Chambersburg, which ranks No. 20 in the power rankings, but don’t count out coach Scott Folmar’s Trojans, who enter this contest with two wins over their last three games … Those victories came over Cumberland Valley (7-1) and Central Dauphin (2-1), with their first win coming earlier this season by a 12-0 score of Carlisle … Chambersburg has been saddled with nine losses this spring, but eight of those losses have come by three runs or less … The Trojans have been competitive on a daily basis thanks to a formidable pitching staff led by Ryne Mills, who carries a 1.77 ERA to go along with 33 strikeouts … Wyatt Martin (0.00), Kadyn McMullen (2.76), and Harrison Benedict (2.86) are all regulars on the mound sporting ERAs under 3.00 … Mills is the top batter in Chambersburg’s lineup. He is batting .355 with a home run, eight runs, five RBI, and two stolen bases … Keaton Barclay is batting .333 with a double, triple, five runs, nine RBI, and two stolen bases.
Sandrik’s prediction: Blue Devils by 1.
